Loading…
25
Changed my mind about using a cheap multimeter for board-level work
I always used a $15 meter from the hardware store, thinking it was fine for continuity checks. Last month, I was tracing a short on a Dell laptop motherboard and my cheap meter gave a false reading, making me waste two hours. I borrowed a Fluke 87V from a friend and found the problem in five minutes. Has anyone else had a similar experience with basic tools failing on complex jobs?
4 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In4 Comments
felixm293mo ago
And @the_jessica nailed it, cheap meters will straight up lie to you. Had a $20 one tell me a cap was discharged, got a nice zap for my trouble. The Fluke 87V is a tank, I just wish they weren't so expensive.
2
the_jessica5mo ago
Oh man, that's the universe telling you it's time for an upgrade. My old meter once lied to me about a fuse being good, which led to a very smoky and very stupid afternoon. It's funny how a tool can seem totally fine until it casually ruins your whole plan. I guess sometimes you really do get what you pay for.
0